The ban on Chinese cars in Polish Army units and the case of Spain

In European countries there seem to be very different views on the threats that certain technologies pose to national security.

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Two months ago, the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces issued a ban on access to Chinese-made cars at military installations, a measure already implemented in the State of Israel. In the case of Poland, the ban applies not only to access for Chinese-made civilian cars to military installations: connecting official phones and other electronic devices to the systems installed in those vehicles is also prohibited.

"The fact that cars manufactured in China are subject to censorship is no coincidence. The combination of advanced digital solutions and the different legal framework under which Chinese manufacturers operate is crucial," the Polish military daily Polska Zbrojna noted in January. "Chinese technology companies, regardless of their sector, are subject to regulations that require them to cooperate with state authorities on security matters. This means that data collected by commercial systems can, at least in theory, be made available to central government authorities. From the perspective of NATO member states, the problem lies not merely in the existence of such regulations, but in the lack of transparency regarding their scope and application, as well as the absence of effective oversight mechanisms by end users."

Polska Zbroja added that the problem with Chinese cars is that they "not only collect large amounts of data, but also operate in continuous connection with the manufacturer's infrastructure. Telemetry data, information from cameras, radars, and LiDAR systems can be sent to foreign processing centers, where they are analyzed and archived. For the armed forces, this means that certain information about the space surrounding military installations can leave the country, even if this happens indirectly and automatically."

This Friday, Polska Zbrojna published clarifications from the Polish Ministry of Defense regarding the ban, noting that "these restrictions do not apply solely to vehicles of Chinese manufacture. Vehicles equipped with position, image, or sound recording systems are also permitted access to military installations, provided that certain functions are deactivated."

The precautions Poland takes with Chinese cars contrast with the case of Spain. Last year a major controversy erupted due to a contract between Pedro Sánchez's government and the Chinese company Huawei to store police wiretaps, for an amount of 12.3 million euros. That contract, which poses a risk to the security of those recordings, was made ignoring the European Commission's warnings about Huawei and generating tensions with the United States, which sees an allied country making contracts with a company from a country allied with Russia, creating potential security holes for the rest of the allied countries.

The paradox is that while Poland prohibits Chinese civilian cars from entering its military bases, two years ago the Spanish Army selected the Peugeot Landtrek (a Chinese SUV, the Changan Hunter, with a French emblem) to replace its old Santana Aníbal SUVs. In the replacement competition, the Landtrek's competitor was a US vehicle, the Ford Ranger. Among other possible alternatives was the Uro VAM-TL from Urovesa, a Spanish brand. How do we explain these things to our European allies?

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Main photo: WCR Szczecin.